I was at this show. I worked all Summer here at Central Park Summer Stage as a beer vendor. I just turned 21 and had seen the Dead a few times. Was a special show and excited to find it online all these years later. I drank a lot and smoked a huge blunt. I passed out that night downtown Manhattan at another show. Amazing how much you can do when you’re young. Then I walked up to 23rd st to my apartment and my roommate reported that Jerry just died.

I attended this show, the first officially billed RatDog performance and decided to relisten with the passing of Rob Wasserman. Since they opened for the Band, it was a little early in the evening and the crowd was a bit sedate for a NYC show,

Musically, this version of the band was more amplified acoustic music. Matt Kelly's harmonica is given plenty of room. Vocally, Bobby is in good form here and the song tempos are generally faster than they would later become. The highlights come at the end. Victim is really intriguing -- still heavy even with the sparse arrangement. There's a nice transition into Throwing Stones, which is focused and intense.

Sound quality is excellent for an audience recording, with some chattiness audible during quiet parts of the show.

OK, Bob Weir is playing Central Park. Sure I'll go to patch in the long (three month) wait between Dead tours. I ASSUMED Ratdog was the headliner, but no, it was The Band. Because I had stopped for a few drinks, I missed half of Ratdogs set as they were opening. I was mildly disappointed, but hey, Jerry and the boys would be back in the Garden in a month, and I had already mailordered for a bunch of shows.

Little did I know this would be the only Ratdog show that would be performed in Jerry's life.

Next day I had a massive hangover. I had on a Jerry tie when I found out the news. Then I looked forward to my next Bob show as never I thought I would.

Luckily for me I did not have to wait long. Ratdog played the Count Basie theater in Jersey just a couple weeks later.

I was not late.

As to the music, looking back I am not a really big fan of early Ratdog. It was a period of transition. The Ratdog of the 21st century, on the other hand, is one valuable commodity.

Audio capture from this evening is perfection. This concert is a must download. Enjoy.

Everything in my world, as well as Bobby's and countless DeadHeads would change at 4:23 AM August 9th, 1995. The Majestro is dead, for real this time, and this was how it started for Ratdog, although Bobby pulls it together(I still don't know how) and put one hell of a show on the next day. With nods to Jer all night. Not a dry eye in the house on 8/9/95, that's a given, check it, you'll see. Roadawg